Wi-SUN Alliance Expands Support for Smart Cities Worldwide

Published 11:00 AM ET Mon, 19 Oct 2015
Globe Newswire

MORGAN HILL, Calif., Oct. 19, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Wi-SUN Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies seeking to accelerate the implementation of Field Area Networking and the Internet of Things, today announced support for a new frequency band in Europe (870-876MHz). The addition of this frequency band will allow improved data rates, performance, robustness and security compared with many alternative solutions. As the industry need for Smart City and IoT deployments across Europe grows, Wi-SUN support for this band now makes available to the European market proven Wi-SUN profiles for Field Area Networking (FAN) and home area networking (HAN).

“Wi-SUN is responding to the Conference of European Posts and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) recommendations and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) rules for 870-876 MHz,” said Phil Beecher, chairman, Wi-SUN Alliance. “The Wi-SUN FAN profile, using this frequency band, creates a foundation for enhanced Utility, Smart City and other IoT implementations in Europe, as already proven by millions of devices deployed globally.”

Wi-SUN is focused on the certification of open standards based wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and Smart City applications. As part of its efforts to rapidly develop a certification program to ensure multi-vendor interoperability for products supporting this new frequency band, the Wi-SUN Alliance is holding a test event in the United Kingdom on 20-21 October 2015. This event for Wi-SUN members will enable companies to confirm product interoperability and verify the test plan to be used in the Wi-SUN Alliance Certification Program for the European market.

The adoption of Wi-SUN FAN enables wireless connectivity in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), distribution automation (DA), and smart cities (e.g., networked street lighting and other urban infrastructure) across all regions that are addressed by the IEEE 802.15.4g global standard. The Wi-SUN specification helps enterprises, service providers and municipalities by enabling interoperable, multi-service and secure IPv6 communications over an IEEE 802.15.4g based wireless mesh network. Mesh-enabled Field Area Networks (FAN) provide resilient, secure and cost effective connectivity with extremely good coverage in a range of topographical environments, from dense urban neighborhoods to rural areas, with minimal additional infrastructure.

*The Wi-Sun Alliance will be exhibiting and available for press meetings at European Utility Week, 3-5 November 2015, Vienna, Austria, please visit us at stand m59.

About the Wi-SUN Alliance

The Wi-SUN Alliance is a non-profit association of industry leading companies devoted to the certification and global proliferation of interoperable Wi-SUN wireless solutions based on the IEEE 802.15.4g standard for use in Smart Utility, Smart City, and other IoT applications requiring robust Field Area Networking (FAN) capability using open global standards. Membership in the Wi-SUN Alliance is open to all industry stakeholders. For more information, please visit: www.wi-sun.org.

Wi-SUN Alliance and the Wi-SUN Alliance logo are trademarks of the Wi-SUN Alliance.